Rule 2.514.Rendering Verdict

Current through May 1, 2026 · Last verified July 6, 2026

In one sentenceRule 2.514 sets the default rule that a 6-person civil jury verdict requires 5 jurors to agree (unless the parties stipulate to a different number of jurors or a different majority), requires the verdict to be returned and, on request, polled in open court, and lets the court discharge a deadlocked or otherwise compromised jury and start over with a new one.

Full Text of Rule 2.514

Text sizeJump to: (A) (B) (C) (D)

(A) Majority Verdict; Stipulations Regarding Number of Jurors and Verdict. The parties may stipulate in writing or on the record that

(1) the jury will consist of any number less than 6,

(2) a verdict or a finding of a stated majority of the jurors will be taken as the verdict or finding of the jury, or

(3) if more than 6 jurors were impaneled, all the jurors may deliberate. Except as provided in MCR 5.740(C), in the absence of such stipulation, a verdict in a civil action tried by 6 jurors will be received when 5 jurors agree.

(B) Return; Poll.

(1) The jury must return its verdict in open court.

(2) A party may require a poll to be taken by the court asking each juror if it is his or her verdict.

(3) If the number of jurors agreeing is less than required, the jury must be sent back for further deliberation; otherwise, the verdict is complete, and the court shall discharge the jury.

(1) because of an accident or calamity requiring it;

(2) by consent of all the parties;

(3) whenever an adjournment or mistrial is declared;

(4) whenever the jurors have deliberated and it appears that they cannot agree. The court may order another jury to be drawn, and the same proceedings may be had before the new jury as might have been had before the jury that was discharged.

(D) Responsibility of Officers.

(1) All court officers, including trial attorneys, must attend during the trial of an action until the verdict of the jury is announced.

(2) A trial attorney may, on request, be released by the court from further attendance, or the attorney may designate an associate or other attorney to act for him or her during the deliberations of the jury.

End

Amendment History

Michigan tracks the orders that adopt and amend its Court Rules in a separate administrative record rather than printing a history note beneath each rule in the compiled rules text reproduced here. The text above is verified current through the source’s own May 1, 2026 update; for the full order-by-order history of this rule, see the Michigan Supreme Court’s rules and orders page.

Plain-English Summary

Michigan civil juries default to 6 members, and unless the parties stipulate otherwise in writing or on the record, a verdict is complete once 5 of those 6 jurors agree; the parties can instead agree to a smaller jury, a different required majority, or, if more than 6 jurors were impaneled, letting everyone who sat through the trial join the deliberations. The verdict itself has to be returned in open court, and any party can demand that the jury be polled — each juror asked individually whether the verdict is theirs. If the poll comes up short of the number required, the jury goes back to deliberate further; otherwise the verdict stands and the jury is discharged.

Before reaching a verdict, a jury can be discharged for an accident or calamity that requires it, because all the parties consent, because the court declares an adjournment or mistrial, or because the jurors have deliberated and cannot agree; in any of these situations, the court can seat an entirely new jury and start the same proceedings over again. And once a trial gets underway, every court officer, including the trial attorneys, has to stay available until the verdict comes in, though a court can release an attorney from further attendance on request, or that attorney can designate another lawyer to stand in during jury deliberations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many of the 6 jurors have to agree on a verdict in a Michigan civil case?

5 of the 6, unless the parties stipulate in writing or on the record to a different number of jurors or a different required majority.

Can I have the jury polled after they announce a verdict?

Yes. Any party may require the court to poll the jury, asking each juror individually whether the announced result is their own verdict.

What happens if the jury can't reach the required agreement?

If a poll shows fewer jurors agree than required, the jury is sent back for further deliberation. If the jury remains truly deadlocked, the court can discharge it and order a new jury to be drawn and the case tried again before that new jury.

Source & verification. The rule text is reproduced verbatim from the official Michigan Court Rules (MCR 2.514). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Michigan (Mich. Const. 1963, art. VI, § 5). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 6, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: jury verdict Michiganpolling the jury Michiganhung jury Michigan civil case